A food haul. I hauled on chocolate. Indulgence is sweet.

Awhile ago, a groupon-like coupon site called The Red Pocket had a deal- $6.80 for 3 cups of chocolate (30 pieces) and a chocolate tart from La Chocolaterie. La Chocolaterie is located on Alderbridge Way in Richmond inside a Japanese marketplace called Izumi-ya. Within 2 hours of buying them, I already devoured the tart and 9 pieces of chocolate. La Chocolaterie isn’t a French place, as the name may suggest, but a Japanese store that sells handmade chocolates. They call their chocolate “coconama style” and they range from green tea chocolate to ginger chocolate to yam flavour. The flavour combinations are amazing.

I first came across from this place when UBC had their shopping fairs in the Student Union Building. I remember the chef offering samples of the green tea chocolate to passing students. After trying one, I was hooked. He took the chocolate samples from an ice box. The chef was extremely kind and had let me try various samples of chocolate at UBC. I have also seen him at Aberdeen Centre during Chinese New Year when they had shopping tables there too. He’s so nice, it makes me want to spend even more money on chocolates.You can tell he is very passionate about his business.

The green tea chocolate I had was a sweet, melted bliss. It melts smoothly when you put in your mouth. I could taste the powder and  authenticity of the matcha, and the infusion of it with dark chocolate was a match made in heaven. I haven’t had a green tea + chocolate combo to top what I had at La Chocolaterie yet. I had bought a cup of 10 for $5. Quite expensive, eh? So when a deal came out for 3 cups + 1 chocolate tart for $6.80, I bought the voucher ASAP. They sold over 300 of those coupons.

Enough about experience, here’s pictures to drool over for and my opinion on them.

After a lot of thinking, I ended up getting Earl Grey, Mango (best seller), and Royal Milk Tea (new flavour).

I didn’t get the green tea chocolates since I have already had them before and wanted to try something different. For those stopping by, I definitely recommend trying the green tea flavour. They are one of the best sellers alongside mango. I had to pay an additional $0.96 tax for them.

It was a hot day today, so I gave myself an excuse to eat the rich coffee chocolate tart first! The name speaks for itself, it definitely tastes rich, but not too sweet. The aroma of coffee is tantalizing and I could taste the quality of the chocolate in the tart. The crust had a general butter taste to it, and it was ordinary. The deliciousness of the chocolate overpowers the crust for sure.

I love London Fogs/ Earl Grey tea lattes, and this Earl Grey coconoma chocolate was amazing. It’s not chocolate with some earl grey flavour, but I could taste an equal proportion of both chocolate and tea. I felt like I was drinking a rich London Fog while eating this chocolate. If you love Earl Grey, this is a must try.

Royal Milk Tea is a new flavour so I decided to try it. This  tastes like milk tea bubble tea. It is a bit less rich compared to Earl Grey. It was very creamy and delicious as well, but I did wish I bought a more daring flavour.

When I tried the Mango flavour, I could taste why this is a best seller. I could taste a sweet, fresh, exotic mango flavour. This is what mangoes should taste like, except it’s not even mango. Is it even legal to call this chocolate?! I don’t know how the chocolate is twisted in this, but it is absolutely decadent. It is very refreshing and this is my new favourite.

All of these chocolates were taken from a fridge, so when I went home, I put them in my fridge as well. They taste a lot richer when cold. These chocolate cups have a sticker on the bottom stating the expiration date.

If you don’t want to give the typical chocolates as gifts to people, La Chocolaterie is an ideal choice. Whether you are treating someone of yourself, make a stop to La Chocolaterie and try some coconama chocolates!